The funny yet rational thing when it comes to Heavy Metal legends like Eddie Ojeda is that there is not much to say. It's pointless talking about Twisted Sister here. Since you are reading this, the possibility that you ignore their music is almost non-existent. The only necessary data at the moment is that Eddie Ojeda signed with the Greek Black Lotus Records last summer and Axes 2 Axes is his very first solo album. In Europe it was released on October 24th 2005 and in the USA it will go out in early 2006.
To be sincere, I was never able to understand why everybody in the music industry seeks for a solo album or even further, a solo career. After all, artists become famous through the bands they are in, if the band is successful of course. Mr. Ojeda for example, is the guitarist of a huge band whose impulse in the scene was massive. It seems that artists never rest what they have already achieved; their name and only on an album cover must be one hell of a motive.
Regardless of the reasons why Eddie Ojeda decided to create a solo album after all these years, his reputation was enough to guarantee profound support. The guests in Axes 2 Axes are probably the most appealing part of it. Ronnie James Dio is responsible for the vocal parts in Tonight, while another S(ick) M(other)F(***er), Dee Snider, makes unique an already interesting cover, Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles). Joe Lynn Turner and XYZ's Tery Ilous also contribute, in the backing vocals obviously [It's a pity the promo CD's booklet doesn't inform us about which songs each one of them participates in. Recognizing Turner in the refrain of Living Free is easy for anyone I guess, but it should have been made clear anyway]. The great Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Ozbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake) and Chris MacCarvill, whose name I've never heard of before, I have to admit, are the guest bassists while Twisted Sister's Joe Franco plays the drums.
Eddie Ojeda, apart from writing the songs and playing the guitars and some bass parts, also undertook the rest of the vocals. Sorry, but with the exception of Please Remember and Evil Duz (What Evil Knows), his voice is maybe the weakest part of the album. Rough and untrained, with odd texture, his voice sounds ok in the first of the two tracks, creating a nicely careless atmosphere, and even better in the second, as he sounds ideally harsh and cavernous for this epic in a weird way track. In general though, he naturally lacks of sensitivity and flexibility. The compositions would have been much more elevated with true singers in charge.
Of course the music is Hard'N'Heavy, not that any of you could expect anything else. Most of the songs are typical Hard Rockers while the 3 instrumental tracks, Axes 2 Axes, Crosstown and Funky Monkey sound heavier and further more elaborated in comparison to the rest. In fact, although the total effort is decent, at some points the album sounds quite naive. I got this feeling especially with Love Power which tries to be funky but if you exclude the guitar solos it sounds tiring.
Frankly, I expected much more from this album. One or two songs that can be heard for more than a week and instrumental virtuosity without any real inspiration back-up are just not enough for me. Please come up with a new TS album!
- Album Highlights: Tonight (hail RJD!), Please Remember, Eleanor Rigby (if my father who has been a freaky Beatles fan for some decades now thinks so, I rest my case), Crosstown, Senorita Knows (Spanish guitars and Eddie Ojeda authentically mourning).